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Let’s start with reach
Social media is embedded into every aspect of our lives. For employers, it offers an opportunity like no other to engage with prospective candidates, especially in the early careers market. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok offer unrivalled access to huge audiences that traditional media can’t reach.
But so often it’s not taken seriously. Employers consistently underestimate the value of social media as a tool for engaging with prospective candidates. But, done right, an authentic, compelling social media presence can do wonders for your recruitment brand.
Social media is the centre of everything in the consumer world. So why is it so often an afterthought in recruitment marketing?”
How to do it?
So how do you do it? Ayo Ogunde is an expert in all things social media. And she has a firm view:
Every person, product, and company is a brand. And at the core of every brand is a community. For consumer brands, it’s the people who use their products. For authors, it’s their readers. These are the people that interact with your content authentically – liking, resharing and boosting your posts. As this community grows, so does your brand’s reach and, crucially, its ability to engage with new communities.
For employer brands your community – at least initially – is your employees. It’s important to nurture these relationships and to encourage your employees to engage meaningfully with your content.
That doesn’t mean bribery. The best engagement is authentic, so posting content that your employees want to engage with – rather than feel compelled to engage with – will generate the best results.
There are a few ways you can do this:
- Tell their stories – spotlighting your people is a great way to not only recognise their contributions, but also encourage them and their circles to engage with your content.
- Create unique content – do something outside your comfort zone.
- Get others involved – ask people within the business to create content or suggest ideas for how to improve your social media.
- Don’t be afraid to stand out – if your content isn’t working, change it up. Try something new, jump on a trend, or let someone new take the reins for a day.
- Spread the word – make people within the business aware of your social media presence. LinkedIn or company-wide emails can be a great way to do this.
- Ask for help – it should be a conversation. Talk to others in the business, friends and family, or turn to the experts.
Do social media right
Used properly, social media is one of the most effective ways employers can get their message out there to prospective candidates. So don’t treat it like an afterthought. Instead of asking how you can adapt your existing brand to fit social media, make social media a priority when developing, harnessing and executing your recruitment campaigns.
